Data Loss Prevention in Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Consider all the valuable information your business holds. From client details to financial records and intellectual property, a wealth of important information is stored in your digital environment.

What happens if it gets lost or stolen, or even shared in the wrong place? There can be potentially serious consequences in terms of cost, reputation and customer trust.

Whatever your business size, you want to protect your data. If you make use of the Microsoft 365 productivity stack, there are security tools on the Business Premium tier that bring enterprise-level security to businesses of all sizes.

One of these is Data Loss Prevention (DLP), delivered through Microsoft Purview. Let’s take a look at what DLP is and how it can help keep your business data safe.

Data Loss Prevention Explained

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) prevents sensitive data from leaving your business environment by limiting the unauthorised sharing, use, or transfer of sensitive information in devices, apps, and services.

DLP identifies sensitive data patterns like credit card numbers or tax file numbers for example. Policies, which have been pre-defined by you, are then enforced. An email with credit card information could be blocked from being sent, for example. Or management can be alerted if a team member attempts to upload a sensitive report to their personal cloud storage.

In this way, DLP forms a safety net that helps prevent mistakes from snowballing into costly disasters.

DLP in Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes core DLP capabilities via Microsoft Purview. For advanced scenarios like endpoint data loss prevention or insider risk management, additional licensing may be required.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium now supports security and compliance add-ons that unlock advanced Microsoft Purview capabilities without needing a full E5 license. These add-ons include features like Endpoint Data Loss Prevention, Insider Risk Management, and Adaptive Protection, which uses machine learning to dynamically adjust security controls based on user behaviour and risk levels. For example, if a user begins downloading unusually large volumes of sensitive data, Adaptive Protection can automatically escalate controls — such as blocking sharing or requiring stronger authentication. These add-ons offer a scalable way for growing businesses to strengthen their data protection posture while maintaining productivity.

Key Features of Microsoft Purview DLP

Here are some of the features of DLP in Microsoft Business Premium that help make it a holistic approach to data protection.

Centralised Management of Policies

Purview makes it easy to create and manage your business DLP policies. It’s all done from one central location, with the policies then applied across your entire 365 environment.

Templates and Customisable Rules

Ready-to-go DLP templates will quickly align to global standards such as GDPR, HIPAA or PCI DSS. Advanced customisation abilities also mean you can create policies tailored to your business. For example, some managers could be allowed to share certain information externally if they can provide a business justification.

Automated Real-time Monitoring

DLP policies work in real time. They automatically detect sensitive data and apply the policy-defined actions. When an action is blocked – say an email isn’t allowed to send – your team member will be advised why this occurred.

Integration with Information Protection

DLP ties in with Microsoft Information Protection. If you label a document as “Confidential,” the system can automatically apply stricter rules to it. This layered approach ensures that protection follows the document wherever it goes.

Practical Use Cases of DLP

Technical jargon aside, here are some real-world scenarios where DLP protects your business data:

Accidental email sharing

An employee attaches the wrong file to an email, and it happens to contain customer payment details. DLP detects the credit card numbers, blocks the send, and warns the employee before damage is done.

Unapproved cloud uploads

Staff sometimes move files to personal cloud accounts to work from home. If that file contains sensitive data, DLP stops the upload and sends an alert through to your compliance team.

Teams collaboration

During a Teams chat, a staff member tries to share a document containing confidential legal information with an external contact. Your DLP policy kicks in, preventing the sharing and keeping your business compliant.

Controlled exceptions

On occasion, managers will need to share sensitive files. You can customise your DLP policies to allow exceptions where necessary. Justification or approval for the sharing will still be required, as this ensures the action is recorded and auditable.

Benefits of Using DLP in Business Premium

Consumer trust: Being proactive with your cybersecurity and data protection builds trust with your partners. You avoid the reputation fallout that follows a data breach.

Compliance support: Different industries have different data protection regulations to comply with. DLP helps you align with these and reduce the risk of penalties for non-compliance.

Error prevention: Most data leaks happen by accident. DLP steps in before a mistake becomes a problem.

Staff awareness: Policy tips guide staff in the moment, reinforcing good security habits across the organisation.

Future proofing: As your business grows, DLP policies can scale with you. You will not need to reinvent your security strategy.

Contact Smile IT for All Things Microsoft 365

The security of your data is a business-critical responsibility. The stakes are high out there –  implementing tight security policies helps you reduce the risk, stay on the right side of regulations and maintain strong customer relations.

Upgrading to Business Premium on Microsoft 365 gives you enterprise-level Data Loss Prevention that is practical and scalable. You get control, visibility and confidence – and your sensitive data is safer.

If you are ready to protect your business with DLP in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, reach out to our team. We’re here to support your business growth while keeping your cybersecurity strong and your team productive! Call us on 1300 766 720 for more information or get in touch here.